Batman has saved the day. Not just for Gotham but for the entire Batman movie franchise. This time the origins of the bat are gone into in detail, including seeing how he got all those great gadgets, the batmobile, his training, everything. On top of that we have a couple of great villains, a twisted enough plot, loads of atmosphere, and... well, just everything about perfect.

This version takes batman more seriously and places him right up on centerstage, though that is not to say the villains aren't great as well, it's just that they don't overwhelm the Batman. How he gets his gadgets, develops his image, and everything else of is origins seems entirely plaussible for a man of his wealth. If you'd always wondered how Batman could get a batcave built and get all that equipment without anyone finding out then this movie explains it. It nicely starts off the legend, not to mention a whole new franchise, and sets things up for later sequels. Dark and gritty like you've never seen him on the screen before, we see Bruce Wayne develop from a scared angry youth with no direction into the fearless terror of the night that strikes out from the shadows.

In short, this is a very good movie and actually worth a screening even at today's out-of-control movie prices.